Finding Home
by TheFifthHalliwellDaughter
Summary: Paige's life has just been turned upside down. She's discovered she's a witch and the youngest of four sisters. But with Piper constantly comparing Paige to their late sister, Prue, will she ever feel like she belongs?
1. Chapter 1: Hurting Paige

"Not again, Paige!" cried Piper, scrambling to freeze time before their entire potion supply hit the floor. "You've got to be more careful."

"I'm sorry, Piper," replied the upset witch as she twirled her hair nervously between her fingers. She did her best to turn the vials right way up and set them back on the table but her hands were shaking badly. She was new at this whole witchcraft thing. She was glad when her older sister Phoebe walked into the room.

"What happened here?" Phoebe questioned. Piper and Paige both shot her a look that said 'don't ask!' Sensing she'd just interrupted some drama, she tried to change the topic. "So, Cole and I are going on a date tonight. You know, I think this could be the real thing".

Piper didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Phoebe had thought a lot of guys were "the one" before, but the idea of her little sister marrying a demon (even a reformed one) made her uneasy. She felt even less confident about her sister's reignited love life, now that they were once again being hunted by a demon. She let Phoebe go on about her perfect boyfriend, glad for the interruption. She finished clearing away all the potions and returning them safely to the cabinet while Paige was busy listening to her other sister.

Later that day, Paige was standing in front of the mirror. She looked like her sister, Phoebe, although she had Piper's eyes. The same eyes she had to watch every day, looking at her with utter disappointment. Her own eyes were filled with sadness. Shouldn't she be happy? She'd finally found her family. But she didn't belong here. They'd lived their whole lives without knowing about her, and now they did, she didn't fit into their already established lives. There was only room for three Halliwell sisters, and sadly she was not one of them. A knock at the door jerked her from her thoughts.

"Paige, it's Phoebs, I need you outta the bathroom. Cole'll be here in 20 minutes!"

This was just another thing she was new to – having sisters. She could deal with Piper being constantly mad at her, but she couldn't bear to piss off Phoebe too. She was her only ally in this house. With that Paige splashed her face with water and quickly left the bathroom.

Like all things that are going well for a Charmed One, Phoebe's date with Cole was cut drastically short. They'd not even ordered their meals when Phoebe felt Cole tense.

"The demons are here," was all he said. Swiftly he pulled Phoebe by the arm and led her out of the restaurant. The waiter looked puzzled as they passed, and asked if there was any way he could entice them to stay… perhaps with a free entrée? When they reached the dimly lit car park, a cloaked figure attacked. Phoebe levitated out of the way of a fireball while Cole deflected it back at the cloaked being. Just before impact the demon shimmered away.

"He'll be back," Cole assured.

Paige was sitting on the couch when she heard the front door bang open. Oh brother, she thought. Phoebe and Cole must be in the middle of an err, passionate moment. But when she turned she was surprised to see them not with their arms around each other, groping wildly, but rather hurtling towards her looking worried.

"Demons. On their way. Get Piper." Phoebe managed to splutter, catching her breath. Paige orbed upstairs and was back with the eldest Halliwell in seconds. Cole was pacing the living room, as if trying to sense when the demons were coming. In the end, he needn't have bothered. The demons made no effort to hide their arrival when they came crashing through an upstairs window. They all rushed to the source of the noise – Paige's bedroom.

The demon stood at the foot of her bed which was now covered in glass from the window. A fireball just missed the Charmed Ones as they appeared in the doorway. Cole reacted first, sending a shard of glass straight for the demon using telekinesis. The demon shielded himself effortlessly, the glass falling to the ground uselessly with a clatter. The demon launched himself at the closest target, Phoebe, who levitated and kicked him hard in the head. The demon shrugged it off, as if he'd felt nothing. Another fireball erupted from the demon, but Paige swiftly orbed it straight back at him. Again, he shielded himself. Piper's hands rose so fast, the demon did not have time to use his shield again. He was blasted across the room and slumped against the chest of drawers.

"Orb the potion up here!" Piper yelled. But the sister she was talking to merely stood as if frozen on the spot, staring at the demon. It was Phoebe who noticed that if was not the demon where Paige's eyes rested but the photo frame on the ground beside him. Or what was left of the photo frame. The impact had broken the frame in at least four places and the demons claws had left the photo itself with similar, irreparable damage. Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered so much, but the photo was of Paige's happy family. Not this family, her adopted family. Phoebe knew it was one of the last photos Paige had with her parents where they all looked happy. Paige was about thirteen and her parents were positively beaming as they stood on either side of their little girl. Soon after then, Paige had gone off the rails and the happy family photos from that point on became quite forced.

For Paige, it felt like hours had gone by, just staring at the remains of that photo. In reality it was less than a few seconds. The demon was stirring. She had to collect herself. But when she opened her mouth to call for the potion, she found only a gasp escaped. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't stand to feel the hurt welling up inside of her, but she couldn't suppress it either. Suddenly a fireball shot straight at Phoebe, who distracted by her distraught sister, bore its full impact. Summoning the courage from somewhere deep inside she called "potion" and tossed it at Cole, who shimmered behind the demon so quickly that he managed to throw the potion at him before he even knew what was happening. He disappeared right in front of their eyes, leaving nothing but a scorch mark, but nobody's eyes were on him anyway.

Piper was cradling Phoebe while Cole was holding her hand. Paige had kneeled beside her bleeding sister, placing a hand on her injuries but it was no use. She'd not yet learnt to heal so no matter the love swirling inside of her for Phoebe, or her desperateness save her could yield any result.

"Leo!" she yelled, tears coming thick and fast right now. The Whitelighter appeared almost instantaneously, and taking one look at Phoebe's pale body, knew what to do. He ever so lovingly cupped his hands around the burn mark that covered her chest and shoulder. A warm glow erupted from them and the wound healed over. Phoebe sat up, Cole taking her in his arms.  
>"Phoebe, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!" Paige choked. "I didn't mean to freeze up like that. Oh my god, if something had happened to you I never would have forgiven myse-"<p>

"Something DID happen, Paige! You could have killed her. Phoebe may forgive you, but I won't. How dare you put my sister's life in danger. That's not how we Charmed Ones work. We would give our own life to save each other. Hell, Prue DID give her own life to save me. Prue would never have put Phoebe's life at risk"  
>At those words, Phoebe jumped in to protect her younger sister, but the damage had been done. Phoebe swore that what had happened that evening was not Paige's fault, but deep inside Paige knew it was. She also knew that she would never be accepted as family in Piper's eyes, not if she couldn't be Prue. And that was one thing Paige knew she could never be. With a pain in her chest threatening to break it in two, Paige ran from the room.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Seeking Prue

"Piper, you've got to go up there and talk to her! She's been in her room for a week now." Phoebe pleaded while sitting at the kitchen bench watching her big sister cook dinner. But her pleas fell on deaf ears. It seemed to Phoebe that both her sisters were just as stubborn as each other. Piper wouldn't apologise until Paige showed she wanted to be part of the family. And Paige wouldn't want to be part of the family until Piper apologised and she was sure they wanted her.

"Take this to Paige, please" said Piper, handing Phoebe a plate of spaghetti and a glass of juice. Phoebe didn't dare suggest this to her sister, but Paige's meal looked just a little more carefully prepared that the rest of the plates. She would never say so, but Piper was feeling guilty for what she'd said.

Paige thanked Phoebe for the food and went to shut the door, only for Phoebe to block it with her foot.  
>"Honey, talk to me. I'm your sister."<p>

Paige hesitantly let go of the door and walked towards her bed. Setting her food down on the bedside table, she patted the mattress beside her, motioning for Phoebe to sit down. She found herself instantly telling her sister all of her fears and insecurities; that she wasn't a good witch, that she was an even worse sister. Phoebe listened with all the tenderness of an elder sister and gently stroked Paige's hair while she rested her head on her shoulder.

"…I'm not Prue," Paige finished.

"Hey, look at me," said Phoebe, grabbing hold of Paige's hands. "You're not Prue. And no one expects you to be. She was the big sister we had before, but you're the little sister we have now. And although you're different, we love you both the same. Nobody expects you to be perfect at this witch thing yet – nobody expects you to be anything but yourself."

"Piper does." Paige whispered, almost as if to herself, but Phoebe heard her anyway.

Phoebe just shook her head and hugged Paige tight.

"Don't you worry your pretty little mind about Piper. She'll come around. I mean, she always did with me. It was Prue you had to work hard to please!"

After Phoebe was gone, Paige took out the photograph she had hidden beneath her pillow. The faces of three beautiful witches smiled back at her. The eldest had dark hair and a strong face. How Paige wished she had gotten the chance to meet this girl. If ever she'd needed some firm big sisterly guidance, it was now. From all the stories Paige had heard about her eldest sister, she knew that Prue liked to take charge. The Halliwell family needed a leader more than ever right now. Piper was too hurt to do it, Phoebe was too busy trying to keep the peace and Paige was just the little sister, what could she do? Picking up her almost cold plate of spaghetti, she scoffed it down and then went straight to sleep.

Paige must have been dreaming. She was standing in the middle of a vast nothing, mist swirling around her and clinging to her pyjamas. Her hair swirled in the wind, breaking free of the confinements of her hair tie and obscuring her view. Despite the unfamiliar land, Paige wasn't scared. The mist tingled against her skin and gave a warm feeling that reached all the way down to her bones. If Paige had to pick a word to describe the sensation, she'd have said "comfort".

"Paige…" a voice from behind her spoke softly. Turning around she was met with a woman of immense beauty. She glowed as if filled with all the stars in the world. It was Prue.

"Don't be scared," Prue said, although scared was the last emotion Paige was feeling right now.

"I… I-I'm so happy to see you," she exclaimed breathlessly, her heart filling with the strongest sense of love for this familiar stranger. "How can I get Piper to accept me? How do I be like you?"

"Why Paige, I cannot answer that. I am a figment of your subconscious – I know what you know. But I know I'd love to meet you one day." And with that the angel (for that was the most apt description for her) disappeared, leaving Paige to puzzle over the meaning behind her parting words.

The dream stayed with Paige when she awoke the next morning. She had orbed from her room into the attic, as she had been doing every day for the past week. Realistically, she could have taken the stairs, but Paige wasn't sure if she was ready to run into Piper just yet. The reason behind these secret trips was so she could study the Book of Shadows. Paige knew she couldn't solve the problem of her being nothing like Prue, but she could fix the problem of her being a clueless beginner witch. Getting half way there had to impress Piper, right? Paige had practised saying and writing spells until she got them right nearly every time. She orbed items all over the place, her precision increasing every day. She was now about two-thirds of the way through the book when she stopped dead.

_To Call a Lost Witch_

_Power of the witches rise_

_Course unseen across the skies_

_Come to us who call you near_

_Come to us and settle here._

_Blood to blood, I summon thee_

_Blood to blood, return to me._

Could this be what Prue had meant in her dream last night? Was Paige supposed to talk to her ghost? She had nothing to lose. Either she got some answers, or she treated it as just more spell practise. Without a second thought she set about preparing the potion that accompanied the spell. She followed the instructions so carefully and said the spell in the clearest voice she could. She shut her eyes when she reached the final line of the spell, silently praying that when she opened them Prue would be there. Light flooded her eyes when she opened them once again; standing in front of her was Prue. Paige threw her arms around her sister. She felt as if she knew her already. But then she jumped back, did Prue know who she was?

As if reading her mind, Prue answered, "Grams and Mom told me all about you. I'm so sorry you grew up without me, or Piper, or Phoebe. But I'm glad they've found you now."  
>Paige thought for a moment. Now that she was here, what did she say to her sister's ghost? She hadn't really thought that far ahead. But again, Prue answered Paige's questions before she could even pose them.<br>"I've been watching all of you. I know Piper seems harsh, but she does love you. That's the problem; she loves you so much that she feels it is almost like a betrayal to me. She doesn't realise that she has the capacity to love you, without loving me any less. You may not have seen it yet, but her capacity to love is limitless."

But she'll only love me, if I'm like you, Paige thought.

"Paige, you are like me. We're sisters. You've got Halliwell blood coursing through your veins, just like I do. Well, did." She giggled. "You're strong. You survived your parents' deaths and you'll survive this. You're intelligent and driven to succeed. And you've had this uncontrollable urge to help innocents all your life. That's why you're a social worker – you've been fulfilling your destiny long before you even knew it existed. Both of our sisters will tell you that those qualities describe me too. You share a bond with me, and with Piper and Phoebe that can never be broken."

Paige nodded in understanding. "I suppose you have to go now, huh? Should I ask Phoebe or Piper to come see you before you disappear?"  
>"No, they're still grieving. It would hurt them too much to see me. But I will be watching over them, and you, always. They'll see me when the time is right."<p>

Paige hugged her sister tight one last time.

"Oh, and Paige, keep an eye on Cole will you? I've never trusted him." And with that, Prue was gone.

Paige stood for awhile, staring at the place her sister had just been, trying to commit every detail of her to memory. This process was disrupted by the rustle of pages. Turning to the Book, Paige saw it had opened to a page she'd never seen before. It read: "Piper likes it if someone else cooks for her, just every once and awhile. And she'll be won over if you give her and Leo the space to be a married couple, if you know what I mean. Love Prue."  
>Paige smiled. Thanks sis, she thought.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Forgiving Piper

Piper was lying in bed, waiting for her husband to finally show up. He was off orbing about somewhere and would no doubt not be home until very late. The hours of a Whitelighter were never quite normal. Feeling as if she was about to drift off to sleep any moment, but wanting to at least see Leo today (he'd left before she'd even woken up), she sat up. At that moment, blinding blue lights appeared on the bed beside her. Piper reached over and kissed him almost before he'd even fully materialised. He broke away slightly faster than she felt was necessary, looking serious.

"Piper, I'm here on official Whitelighter business," he spoke. She gave him one of her famous stares, daring him to continue speaking to her like that, like a charge. He changed his tone. "Why are you giving your younger sister such a hard time?"

"What? Phoebe's fine. Oh…" She said, suddenly realising that Phoebe was no longer the only younger sister she had. "You mean Paige." It was not a question, but Leo took the chance to interrupt anyway.

"The Elders are worried. You know how this works. The three of you are strongest when you're together, and your powers only work when you are close."

Piper pointed to the wall across the room. "She lives right on the other side of there. Could she get much closer?" she asked.

"You know that's not what I mean." Never had Leo seen Piper anything but warm hearted towards a family member. Even when her Dad left, she had found it hard to hate him. And now, well she didn't hate Paige, but she was certainly making it difficult for her to belong. There was silence for the longest time, neither mad at each other, but also both unwilling to be the one who might break that peace.

"I'm going to be compared to Prue every damn day of my life, the 'replacement' older sister who just can't live up to Prue. And I don't want to! I don't want to live at all if Prue can't." She regretted it the moment it left her mouth. She seemed to have that feeling a lot these days.

Leo looked at her with hurt in his eyes. She could barely look at him. He'd lost Prue too; she was like a sister to him. And now here she was, the woman he loved most in the world, suggesting that she too wished she were dead? No, she didn't actually mean that. They fought to save lives – it was their destiny. Prue didn't give her life so that Piper could give up on her own. Piper inched closer to Leo and laid her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head gently and ran his fingers down her long, brown hair.

"You're every bit the woman Prue was," he whispered right into her ear, hugging so tight as if she might slip right through his hands. "But so is Paige."

Piper awoke the next morning and begrudgingly headed downstairs to make breakfast. It wasn't that she didn't love preparing the food for all the girls and Leo. She did. Cooking was one of her passions, and it also made her happy that she could provide for her family, like the eldest sister should. But some days she just wished someone else would do it. Piper hadn't even made it to the kitchen before she knew that today she had gotten her wish. The sweet smell of pancakes wafted through the Manor.

"Hey Missy, long time no see," she greeted her youngest sister when she reached the kitchen. She immediately began to help by setting the table, but Paige shooed her away. She sat down at the table as Phoebe walked through the door.

"Something smells amazing!" she announced, slightly taken aback when she noticed which of her sisters had created such delicious aromas. And even more taken aback to see Paige willingly in the same room as Piper. She picked up the plates Piper had placed on the bench. This time Paige did not object to the help. Phoebe held out each plate one at a time, while Paige flipped a pancake onto them.

"I talked to Prue last night," she hissed under her while pouring syrup proudly over her breakfast creations.

"WHAT!" gasped Phoebe, almost dropping the plate she still held.

"What's what?" asked a quizzical Piper.

"Nothing!" The two girls said at the same time. Phoebe was looking at Paige like she'd grown a second head. Paige was looking at her, trying to explain everything with her eyes. Phoebe seemed to get the message.

"Just what a beautiful job Paige has done on these pancakes. I can't wait to eat one. Yum, yum, yum! Thanks Paige!"

"Yes, thank you Paige, it's much appreciated," said Piper, seeming to have believed Phoebe's cover up. At that moment Leo and Cole entered the kitchen.

"Trust you two to join us as soon as the food's ready," laughed Piper, pulling her husband into the seat beside her.

"You didn't shimmer in," stated Paige, directing this at Cole.

"No, he spent the night here," explained Phoebe. A touch of pink touched her cheeks. Paige looked from her sister to the half-demon standing next to her then hurried to prepare another plate for Cole. Meanwhile Piper had gotten up from the table and was offering to make the coffee. The only problem with that was the last milk cartoon was sitting empty on the bench after being used in Paige's pancakes.

"Paige!" came Piper's voice from behind the fridge door. Evidently she'd just discovered there was no milk. Paige expected she might be in for a lecture, but Piper merely popped her head up over the door and asked, "Who wants juice?"

Leo smiled while Paige breathed a sigh of relief. They all nodded.

"So, Phoebs, you and Cole ready for that thing we've got to do today?" Paige asked, hoping her sister would catch on. Cole looked at Phoebe confused, who had the same look on her own face.

"What thing?"

Paige kicked her beneath the table.

"Oh yeah, that thing. Of course honey, how could we have forgotten?" Phoebe said a little too eagerly. Cole had still missed the point, but followed Phoebe out of the room to get ready anyway.

"We'll be out all day, sorry," Paige said to Piper and Leo. "So you'll have the whole house to yourself." And with that she flounced out of the room.

An hour later, Paige, Phoebe and Cole were standing in line at the movie theatre. Phoebe wanted to see some old B-grade horror movie, but had agreed to settle for a romantic flick. Paige knew either way she was going to be a bit of a third wheel. She'd wanted to talk to Phoebe about her conversation with Prue, but that would have to wait. They were next in line to book their tickets when Cole spotted a man on the other side of the street and insisted he had to leave for a minute. He ducked out of line and made his way across the road. He greeted the other man like an old friend and soon engaged in hushed conversation.

"Looks like it's just you and me, sis," said Phoebe. Paige was still watching Cole and his acquaintance. There was something off about this encounter, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Maybe it was what Prue had said putting doubts into her head, but things over there looked much too serious to be just a casual conversation.

"Popcorn or chocolate?" asked Phoebe for a third time, shaking Paige from her thoughts. She chose the popcorn and they hurried into the theatre.

The movie was a terribly sappy chick-flick – the kind you watched when you were feeling unlucky in love and needed a good cry but uplifting ending. Cole did not return for the entire length of the film, which Phoebe thought was probably best. Cole's half-demon demeanour did not make him overly sensitive and he would definitely have not appreciated the emotional impact of the movie. They left the theatre both filling positively uplifted, despite not being in an all together bad mood at the start. "Lunch date?" Phoebe asked. "Seeing as how I seem to have lost that boyfriend of mine, you can tell me all about your rendezvous with Prue. And let me in on why we're having this spontaneous adventure.

"Okay," Paige agreed, laughing. They wandered down the street and entered a small coffee place on the corner. Paige recounted every last detail of her eventful night over an espresso and a salad. Phoebe listened intently, barely touching her sandwich and hanging off every word. She wished she could have been there, but she understood why Prue had forbid it. She herself was not even sure she would ever be able to handle seeing her sister's ghost. Mutually they decided not to inform Piper of this meeting.

"So I dragged you and Cole out of the house this morning to give Piper some space and to put her in a good mood. She needs time to heal just as much as I need time to adjust to this new life. We could both cut each other some slack," said Paige, rising as she rose from her chair. With that they left; Phoebe suddenly noticing how extremely wise her sister was.

They arrived home late that afternoon after a wonderful day uninterrupted by demons or family drama. This was a rare occurrence and they were relishing every minute. Leo had not come to get them either, so they day at the Manor must have been just as uneventful magically. But when they walked through the door they found Piper alone on the couch.

"Where's Leo?" Paige asked.

"Oh he went up to talk to them about half an hour ago. And we were having such a nice day before that too." Piper winked.

Her sisters laughed and jumped onto the couch beside her, pretending to be disgusted by this divulgence of personal information. Piper opened her mouth to retort when two men materialised in front of them. One came in a swirl of blue light, the other in a shimmer.

"We need to talk," they said together.


	4. Chapter 4: Phoebe's Fear

Leo and Cole looked at each other, as if silently asking the other if they were talking about the same thing. A sharp look from Cole and a solemn nod from Leo was all the answer they needed. The girls were at a loss as to what could have happened to change the tone of their afternoon so quickly. Things in the Halliwell house never stayed the same for very long, that's for sure. There was an uneasy silence as if drinking in the last few moments of calm before their world was turned upside down. It was Piper who spoke first.  
>"Leo, if it's about what we talked about last night, we're sorting it out," she assured him.<p>

"It's not," said Leo, moving to sit on the arm of the lounge that the Charmed Ones were perched on as Cole settled himself into an armchair opposite. "The Elders think your lives are in danger."

"Leo, I hate to break it to you, but our lives are always in danger!" Phoebe joked in an attempt to pretend things weren't much more serious.

"Not like this. The Elders suspect it may be an inside job. They think someone from our side is providing the Underworld with information on you." Leo said gravely. The weight of his words hit the Charmed Ones hard. Piper grabbed Leo's arm instinctively. Paige shivered as a rush of cold extended along her spine. Phoebe shifted to get closer to Paige and wrapped her arms around her tight. There was a mole in the Charmed One's midst? They were used to battling evil, but never had they expected their next attack to come from the same side they fought on.

"He's right. The Underworld is planning yet again to take down the famed Charmed Ones, and this time they might just succeed. Rumour has it they're working with a source of good to gain inside information. We can't trust anyone," confirmed Cole.

"We? You're not the one who is under attack here, Cole" Paige challenged, not sure she believed Cole was entirely on their side. Could he perhaps be part of the Underworld's plan to bring them down? She stood and began to pace the room.

"No, but my girlfriend's sister is. And I'm going to do everything in my power to keep her safe. They're coming for you first, Paige – they think you'll be the easiest to kill." Cole said, speaking to Paige but looking reassuringly at Phoebe. Phoebe looked back at him with worry.

"But why Paige?" She asked seriously. "They should come after me. My powers are much less useful than hers in combat."  
>"And I've been having trouble with my powers since we lost Prue. Wouldn't that make me the weakest right now?" Piper added.<p>

"Look girls, I know you'd trade places with Paige in an instant if it would help, but it won't. You can't sacrifice yourselves to the Underworld and expect this to stop. They won't rest until all three of you are gone, and evil can rule on Earth," Leo explained. His eyes were fixed on the foyer, as if waiting for danger to come bursting through the front door at any moment. The sun was beginning to set and dark shadows crossed over his face. The girls could tell he was worried; more worried than they had ever seen him.

"So, what do I have to do?" asked Paige, sounding more confident than she felt. This question was obviously directed at Leo, but it was Cole who answered.

"You're new to magic. They seem to think you don't have enough knowledge or control of your powers to fight them off. And it's true. Even Phoebe and Piper's experience wouldn't be enough to survive if one of these demons attacks. Not separately and I'm not even sure if the power of three would be strong enough. If she were to go into hiding I could protect her. I've been hiding from the Underworld for months now."

Leo shook his head rather forcefully. "No, we can't break the power of three. If there's an attack, they'll all be needed to have any chance of defeating the demon. Besides, you don't think that if they can't find Paige, these demons aren't going to just move on to Piper or Phoebe as their next target?" Frankly, the sisters agreed. The one thing that had been drilled into them for all their magical lives was to stick together.

"Well what have your people done to protect them?" Cole questioned. By 'your people' he meant the Elders.

"There's been a Whitelighter lock down. All Whitelighters have been ordered to return to the Heavens. I'm the only one who can still orb in and out. Then a few Elders are positioned down here to watch over everyone's charges. "

"Has it ever occurred to you," began Cole defiantly, "that one of the Elders may be behind all this?" He looked intently at Leo, almost challenging him with his eyes. It wasn't because he was half-demon that he mistrusted the Elders, but logically, they were in the perfect position for betrayal. The Elders knew all about the Charmed Ones, and were trusted above anyone else to keep evil at bay; nobody dared to ever question that they were fully on the side of good. It would be only too easy to blindside everyone and make a pact with a demon. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Leo fumed at this suggestion – the Elders represented all he worked for and believed in. He literally owed them his life. He remained silent for the longest time, deciding whether to be mad at Cole, or to just let it go. Feeling it was the best option to keep the peace at the Manor, he chose the latter. Calmly he denied that there was even the slightest possibility of an Elder having betrayed their position of power, though there was a definite trace of bitterness in his voice.

They talked in circles for hours in an attempt to come up with a plan of defence. It was decided that Paige would not go into hiding, she was very adamant about that. She couldn't abandon her duty as a Charmed One; under attack from demons or not, there would always be innocents to save. That was the Halliwell spirit in her. It was also decided that any detouring from their normal routine would alert the Underworld that they knew of the impending attack so it was best they keep their lives as normal as possible. Cole would be Paige's personal body guard wherever she went, while Leo was to keep a stronger eye on the other two girls, just in case. The sisters made a pact of constant vigilance and vowed to discover whoever it was that betrayed them and put an end to it.

With a kiss from Piper, Leo orbed back up to the Elders in the hope they might have any new information. Cole rose from his chair and insisted he was going to the Underworld to see what he could uncover about the rumours himself. Phoebe objected strongly to this and grabbed him around the waist so he couldn't shimmer away.

"Baby, there are demons that want you dead for deserting them, and you want to enter the Underworld? You're risking enough just coming out of hiding to watch over Paige but to actually go back to the Underworld? I just couldn't take it if I lost you. We need you. I need you," she let her body relax into her sturdy boyfriend's arms and felt the comforting, steady beat of his heart. If she could just stay here she was sure she'd be safe forever.

"Don't worry about me," Cole assured her, "I love you." He kissed her passionately, stood back and shimmered away. Phoebe was left clutching at the air where he'd been seconds ago. The Charmed Ones were alone in the Manor and without a word, as if by habit, headed upstairs to check the Book of Shadows.


	5. Chapter 5: Doubting Cole

Paige barely slept that night. Despite the brave face she'd put on for her sisters she was terrified by the news Leo and Cole had delivered that afternoon. Since learning she was a witch just a few short months ago she'd faced many demons, but never one that was targeting her alone. The huge target that was now resting on her back weighed her down and she struggled to breathe. Tossing and turning, the panic rose in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to run to Phoebe's room and dive under the covers, but she was a little old for that, wasn't she? Besides, Cole had stayed over and not only did she not want him to see her vulnerable, she also didn't trust him. What if he had succumbed to his evil side and was the brains behind this new mission to bring them down? He'd met with that stranger on the street and then disappeared for hours, returning with news from the Underworld. Some things just didn't add up. Cole was supposedly in hiding from the Underworld, how had he managed to find out information about it as fast as the Elders had? It's not like he could just shimmer down there and ask. Unless he'd been lying to the Charmed Ones all this time, and he could in fact walk freely in the Underworld, putting him in the perfect position to lead the revolution against them. These doubts swam in circles in her head. She couldn't distract herself, nor could she calm herself down. The more she thought about it, the more worried she was about being placed under Cole's protection. He'd be alone with her a lot tomorrow. It could all be a ploy to get her away from her sisters so he and his demons could attack. She wouldn't know how to handle that on her own. She still couldn't always orb on command and she barely had control over her telekinetic orbing, especially not over great distances. Knowing Phoebe's room was out of the question, but needing someone to calm her nerves she slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hall. She barely dared breathe as she hurried silently to the room at the other end of the hall. She'd never felt so unsafe in her own home. She stopped momentarily at the door then, swallowing her pride, walked in.

"Paige?" Piper asked groggily, blinking through the dark at the figure at the end of her bed. Leo stirred beside her.

"I'll go make us some tea," he said sleepily, sensing Paige needed a sisterly moment. He climbed out of bed and smacked his leg against the wall in an attempt to exit the room. "Ouch!" And with that the room was filled with blinding blue light as he made it to the kitchen the easy way. Paige still stood by the bed, waiting for Piper to make the first move. Piper pulled the covers down on Leo's side. That was all the invitation Paige needed and she climbed in.

"This is kind of scary, isn't it?" began Piper. "You're not the only one who's a little freaked out."

It was true, Piper was scared. She was terrified but not for herself. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Paige. She'd lost one sister already, which was enough. She was scared for Paige, horrified that she wouldn't be able to protect her, like she couldn't protect Prue. Right now though, she thought it was best not to tell Paige this. Instead she listened to Paige's concerns, as she recounted Cole's strange behaviour at the cinemas and his meeting with that strange man. Piper put on her brave big sister front and reassured her frightened little sister that everything would be okay.

"I know Cole seems evil, we didn't trust him to begin with either. But we know him better now. Phoebe's trusts him and with all her powers of premonition she would know if he was evil." It was the truth, Piper had doubted Cole for a long time, but she believed in him now. If only she could get Paige to believe too.

At that moment Leo re-entered the room (through the door this time), carrying a tray of hot tea and biscuits. Together they sat on the bed and devoured the 3am snack. When they were finished, Leo offered to stay in Paige's room that night so she could get some rest with Piper.

"And remember," he said, "I can hear you from wherever you are. Just call my name and I'll be there." He gave Paige a quick hug, kissed his wife goodnight and then left the room. Piper and Paige lay down, pulling the covers up to their chins.

"Thanks Piper"

"Anytime, kiddo."

"You won't tell Phoebe about this, will you?"

"My lips are sealed."

And they drifted off to sleep, neither stirring until the alarm clock sounded at exactly 7:15 the next morning.

"Mooooorning!" rang Phoebe's overly chipper voice when Paige and Piper entered the kitchen.

"Boy, somebody's in a good mood," grumbled Piper while a yawning Paige fumbled with the coffee machine. Cole and Leo were already awake and were discussing strategy in the living room.

"It's just nice to have Cole staying here for a little extra protection," Phoebe explained, though no one in particular had asked. At least someone had found happiness in the unfortunate circumstances yesterday had uncovered. Glancing at her watch, Piper grabbed a piece of toast and hurried out the door, yelling goodbye to Leo as she went. Phoebe finished her breakfast and joined Leo and Cole in the living room. Paige on the other hand, stayed in the kitchen reading the newspaper. The less time she had to spend with Cole, the better, she thought. Piper had quelled her fears a little, but she still didn't feel completely at ease with him. He was hiding something, she just didn't know what. Suddenly, something in the newspaper caught her eye. Several women had been found dead, after having apparently thrown themselves off of a building. There had been at least two suicides a week for the past month, leading police to believe very strongly that there was something more sinister than suicide at play. The women were all thought to be prostitutes who worked the same area. Paige would have to ask Inspector Daryl Morris, a family friend and keeper of their secret, if he knew anything. Whether or not it was demon related, Paige couldn't tell. And whether it was related to the demons currently hunting her and her sisters, she was even more unsure. Either way it would have to wait because right now it was time to leave for work. Carefully she folded the newspaper and stowed it into her handbag. She called goodbye to Phoebe and Leo who were already hard at work in the attic. They were going to spend the day combing through the Book of Shadows, even though the sisters had looked yesterday to no avail. It was also their plan to put together a list of everyone they knew who might want to hurt them. Cole, who'd been up there with them came down the stairs and departed through the front door behind Paige.

Paige unlocked her car and got into the driver's seat, while Cole climbed into the passenger side. She reversed out of the driveway, neither talking to nor looking at Cole. If she had, perhaps she might have seen the cold, dark eyes peering out from behind the hedge.


	6. Chapter 6: Helping Darryl

Phoebe stood in the middle of the attic holding Piper's address book. She ran her finger along the alphabetised names, praying she would get a premonition. Any insight into who was leaking all of their personal information to the enemy would be fine. Leo was flicking through the pages of The Book of Shadows, but he didn't have much to go on and eventually gave up with a sigh.

"Ugh, this is hopeless!" cried Phoebe exasperatedly. She slammed the book down after reaching the final Z name without having even a flicker of a premonition. Leo orbed her up a glass of water and a chocolate bar, which she devoured in seconds. They'd been in the attic for hours now and had found nothing useful to report back to the others. They'd gone over every person any of them knew well and had come in contact with over the last few days. That had been the shortest task of the morning. Demon-hunting and innocent-protecting had left them very little time to maintain social lives or even friendships. But no one they could think of set off any alarm bells. Really, the only people who even had enough knowledge of the Charmed Ones' lives to be of any use as a mole were Cole, Leo, Darryl and the Elders, all of whom they'd ruled out already. Cole, Darryl and Leo were like family, there was no way any of them had betrayed the Charmed Ones' trust, at least not in Phoebe's mind. Cole was half-demon, but that also made him half human and his half-human side loved her with all his heart. Phoebe knew that this side of him would always win out over the demon one as long as she was around. She may have a hard time keeping her sisters convinced, but Phoebe was absolutely sure he was one hundred percent on their side.

Darryl was an old family friend. They'd met him through Andy, Prue's high school sweetheart, who was Darryl's partner in the police force before he died. Darryl had eventually come to learn of the sisters' secret Charmed identities. Since then he'd covered for them, never telling a soul that they were witches, and in return they solved any demon related murders that ended up as one of his cases. He'd risked his life for the Charmed Ones too many times before to suddenly go against them now.

Leo, being married to Piper and the girls' Whitelighter could certainly not be the mole. Professionally the Elders kept track of his every move, and so if he was working against the Charmed Ones, they would have clipped his wings by now.

"Nothing would be worth double-crossing Piper," he had joked when Phoebe had accused him of being the mole, just for a laugh. "She'd kill me!"

And they'd come to the conclusion that they were not being betrayed by the Elders. They were the greatest source of good in the entire world. It was them who helped the Charmed Ones defeat evil and fulfil their destiny. The idea that they were suddenly working with evil was just absurd.

And so there they were, back at square one. No suspects and no clue when or where they'd be attacked, let alone which demons would be responsible. In the past, when Phoebe had read the Book of Shadows and discovered what kind of demon or warlock they were up against, she'd always felt a sense of fear. Knowing what she had to face seemed to make it all the more real. But now she not knowing who or what was after you was so much worse. How could they prepare for an attack they'd never see coming?

Meanwhile Paige was just finishing up at work. It was late and her co-workers had all gone home already so it was her job to lock up. Cole had been patrolling the perimeter of the building all day, occasionally shimmering in to Paige's office to check on her. He'd just left her office for one last sweep of the premises. A demon appeared out of nowhere and threw Paige against the wall with the blink of an eye. He lunged at her with an athame but she managed to orb out of the way just in time. Her screams echoed through the empty halls as the demon made another attempt to stab her. She would have called for Leo, even Cole if she could speak, but her voice was paralysed with fear. Once again she felt herself thrown against something hard – her desk. Her head hit the sharp corner with such force that she felt dizzy. She winced in pain and tried to stand but she slumped back against the hard wood behind her.

Cole was riding the elevator back to the floor where Paige's office was. His last patrol was clear, meaning it was safe to take Paige down to the car. The elevator slowed and came to a stop with a quiet 'ping'. As the doors opened, Cole heard a blood curdling scream. He sprinted towards Paige's office, and just seconds from reaching the door, everything went silent.

"Oh my God, you're still alive?" he said in disbelief and disdain as he burst through the door. Paige was curled up against her desk, head between her knees and her hands up trying to shield herself. The demon and his athame were just inches from her. Cole felt anger and power swell within him as he transformed into his alter-ego, Belthazor. He lunged at the demon and wrestled the athame from his grasp. Plunging it deep into his chest, the demon let out a roar of pain and was gone.

"Paige, you're safe now," said Belthazor, kneeling in front of her. She looked up and was startled to see another demon in front of her.

"Get away from me!" she screamed and pushed him away.

"It's me! It's me!" cried Belthazor, stepping back and turning back into the man she recognised, Cole.

Paige relaxed slightly, but still shuddered at Cole's touch as he helped her to her feet.

"You're hurt," he said, still supporting her weight. Her hand reached up to her temple and felt something warm and sticky; blood. "I'll drive your car home for you. It's safest for you to orb straight home so Leo can heal you. Are you strong enough to orb?"

Paige nodded. She chucked him her keys and orbed out.

Paige knew she should have gone straight home to the Manor, but she didn't really want to be anywhere Cole was right now. He'd scared her. He'd seemed shocked when he'd walked in on the scene in her office, like he'd expected her to be dead. It was almost as if he'd known about the attack. Instead, Paige found herself standing outside the local police station. She stepped inside and three officers got to their feet and asked if she was okay. Her head was throbbing but she smiled, saying she was fine, and headed towards Darryl's office. She knocked on the door in warning and then entered.

"Paige? What the hell happened to you?" was Darryl's initial reaction. He stood up from his desk and grabbed a first aid kit from the shelf. He patched up Paige's head wound tenderly. It stung and she turned her face so he wouldn't see the tears that had welled up in her eyes. She explained her demon encounter to him in hushed tones.

"There you go. Now, I know you didn't come here so I could bandage your head when Leo could have done it much faster and less painfully. What's up?" Darryl enquired, taking a seat back behind his desk. Paige took a seat on the other side.

"I was just wondering if you knew anything about those multiple suicides that were in the paper this morning?" asked Paige.

"It's my case," Darryl replied, picking up the case file from the top of his pile, "but there's no way they were all suicides. There was no coincidence, it was planned murder. Only the victims don't show any signs of being pushed over the edge. Do you know of any witchy reason that would cause someone to jump off of a building of their own accord?"

"No, sorry," said Paige shaking her head.

"The victims were all 'ladies of the night', if you know what I mean." Darryl continued. They were found down a dark alley way in the industrial area across town where they worked. This guy went to a lot of trouble to choose victims who most likely wouldn't be missed."

"So he takes girls in horrible situations, with no one to notice they've gone missing and talks them into committing suicide by jumping off of a building?" asked Paige, "That's awful".

"Yeah, the manipulative son of a bitch." Darryl cried in frustration, throwing the case file onto the desk.

"Well I'll talk to my sisters and see if we can come up with any ideas. It certainly sounds like there's something sinister going on," Paige promised. "But right now I have to get home; they'll be worried about me." She thanked Darryl for all his help and for the second time that night, orbed out.


	7. Chapter 7: Leo's Mistake

Cole sped through the streets of San Francisco. He turned into the Manor's driveway so fast that the tires smoked. As soon as the car was stationary he jumped out and jogged across the lawn, bursting through the front door.

"Paige?" he called as he tried to catch his breath. Looking around he realised the living room was empty. "Phoebe! Piper! Leo!" He leapt up the stairs two at a time.

"Baby, what's the matter? Oh my God, you're hurt!" Phoebe had met him at the top of the stairs.

"I'm fine," Cole assured Phoebe, as she tenderly touched his face which was covered in scratches. Suddenly it dawned on Phoebe that Cole was alone.

"Cole, where's Paige?" her voice trembled as she asked. Cole's eyes narrowed in anger.

"She's not here? She was supposed to orb straight home!"

He grabbed Phoebe by the hand and pulled her towards Piper and Leo's room.

"You two haven't seen or heard from Paige, have you?" he asked as they entered the room without knocking. Piper and Leo shook their heads, looking worried.

"Isn't she with you?" Piper asked in a concerned tone. It was Cole's turn to shake his head. He explained quickly about the demon attack while the three worried faces listened intently.

"You let her orb solo?" Leo asked Cole in a sharp tone. "What if she orbed right into danger? You know she's not in control of her powers yet."

"Oh, so you would have preferred she drive home with me, like a sitting duck making its way through San Francisco?" Cole retorted. "Her orbing is a fear response and I promise you, she was sufficiently scared. She wouldn't have had any problems orbing back here." Cole took a step towards Leo and drew in a breath, making himself look as tall and menacing as possible.

"Then where is she?" Piper interjected, moving to stand between Cole and Leo. The tension between the two was threatening to explode. Piper glared at them both and they knew better than to upset her.

"I don't know. Leo, can you sense her?" Cole asked, backing down slightly.  
>"No," Leo began gravely, "so either she's not in any trouble or she's somewhere I can't sense her, like the Underworld."<p>

"Or she's dead," whispered Phoebe, admitting what nobody wanted to believe. Cole pulled her in close and kissed the top of her head.

"We'll find her," he told her firmly.

There was a crash downstairs, and all four of them ran out of the room to see what was going on.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Paige, who had caused the noise by orbing in on top of a lamp. Cole was fuming but it was Piper who lost her temper first.

"Where the hell have you been?" yelled Piper, flying down the stairs towards Paige. "You get attacked by a demon and just disappear? We've been worried sick!" Paige opened her mouth to reply, but Piper didn't give her the chance.

"You know what this family has been through! You know how much we've lost. You may not know what it feels like to lose a sister, but I do. And I can't handle that happening again. I just can't." Her voice cracked with anger and emotion.

"Piper, come on, she must have been scared. Comforting big sister now, angry and protective one later, okay?" Phoebe turned to Paige. "Tell us what happened. Where'd you go when you left Cole?" Instead of answering Phoebe's question, Paige moved closer to Piper and looked her in the eyes.

"I lost a sister too. One I never even got the chance to know. Don't you dare tell me I'm not hurting from losing Prue. I lost the chance to have an amazing big sister. And instead, I got stuck with you. I lost everything."

Piper was taken aback by Paige's harsh words. Tears sprung to her eyes and for once, she was at a loss for words. Paige then went on to answer Phoebe's question.

"I went to see Darryl. He has a case he could use our help on. It just felt sort of safer there." She thought it was best not to mention why she felt so unsafe at the Manor; not when the reason was standing right next to her.

"Okay, but one thing at a time please. Let's figure out who's trying to kill us first before we help Darryl track down any other murderers." Phoebe said with a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"Phoebe's right," Cole said. "Silly little stunts like this will get you killed, Paige." He practically spat the words at her, causing her to orb on the spot in fright. He angrily shimmered from the room.

"I'm going to go consult with the Elders," said Leo. He orbed out in a haze of blue lights.

"I think Cole is working with the demons," Paige blurted out once she and her sisters were alone. She hadn't meant to say it; she'd planned on keeping it to herself until she had proof. But the events of the night had shaken her badly and she just had to tell someone.

"Paige, we talked about Cole. He's not evil – not anymore, anyway." Piper said with a stern voice.

"Wait a minute, you've been talking about my boyfriend behind my back? I can't believe you. I don't expect you to trust him, but you can trust me! He's a good man. He's put his life on the line for you, Paige. All this demon involvement – what if somebody discovers who he is? He's supposed to be in hiding!" Phoebe was starting to become angry for the first time that night.

"I'm sorry Phoebe, but something about him just gives me the creeps. And he has been acting really suspicious lately. H disappeared that day we went to the movies and returned with news from the Underworld, the place he is apparently hiding from, and toni-"

Phoebe interrupted her. "I don't want to hear anymore, Paige. Cole does not have to answer to you for every little thing he does, and I certainly won't listen to you talk about him while he's not here to defend himself. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She turned on her heels and stomped up the stairs. A few seconds later there was the sound of a door slamming.

"Now that I've made my entire family mad at me, I'm going to bed too," Paige sighed. Piper was about to go after her as she stomped up the stairs when Leo returned.

"That was fast," Piper noted. Usually his visits with the Elders took him away for hours at a time. Leo shrugged it off. Secretly, he'd only orbed as far as the front yard, taken a walk around the block a few times and orbed back. He'd sensed that the sisters needed time alone to sort things out, but since Piper was now standing alone, he realised he might have just made things worse. The Power of Three was about as vulnerable as it could be before breaking apart completely. And if there was ever a time the Charmed Ones needed it, it was now.


End file.
